Calling him a “tremendously effective standard bearer” for the party, a block of Hudson County mayors today endorsed County Executive Craig Guy for re-election to a second term as Democratic county chairman.
The group includes newly-elected Jersey City Mayor James Solomon and Union City Mayor/State Sen. Brian P. Stack. They are joined by another new mayor, Emily Jabbour of Hoboken, and a group of Hudson County Democratic stalwarts: Albio Sires of West New York, Richard Turner of Weehawken, Carol Jean Doyle of Kearny, James Fife of Harrison, Michael Gonelli of Secaucus, Dina Grillo of East Newark, Robert Kubert of Bayonne, and Wayne Zitt of Guttenberg.
The mayors said Guy is exactly the kind of leader Hudson County needs.”
“Craig was clear from the outset of his term that he wanted a more inclusive and far-reaching Hudson County Democratic Organization that would work in concert to best represent the ever-expanding voices and true conscience that represent all of our democratic values,” the mayors said in a joint statement. “This is what modern, democratic leadership that delivers real results for real people looks like. We look forward to supporting his upcoming re-election.”
Missing from the list is North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco.
Last month, Guy played a key role in crafting a unity ticket for countywide candidates, with the same coalition members now supporting his re-election. As a result, there are no contested primaries in eight of the nine county commissioner districts; headed to the board is Ron Bautista of Hoboken, who ran insurgent challenges against an incumbent in 2020 and 2023.
“Craig has been a calm and steady presence, and his influence, expertise, and willingness to not just listen, but also hear differing opinions helped us achieve our unity Democratic ticket to avoid the infighting that has defined our party for so long,” the mayors stated. “Because of his leadership and our strong partnership, Hudson County is poised to have one of the most diverse and progressive county commissioner boards in our history.”
There is even some talk in Hudson circles about a convention to endorse candidates at some point in the future – a concept that had been unheard of in past years and under former leaders.
Guy did not confirm the speculation, but said he has been very vocal about the fact that our party has been growing and evolving.”
“We would be missing a critical opportunity if we did not embrace that evolution,” he said.
Guy was elected county chairman in 2024. Anthony Vainieri, Jr., now a North Bergen commissioner, dropped his bid for re-election for the party post two days after Guy announced that he would run. In 2025, Guy endorsed the winning candidate in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Mikie Sherrill.
He was elected county executive in 2023 after serving as chief of staff to his predecessor, Tom DeGise.
Guy pledged to continue to “work together with so many strong, effective and dedicated leaders throughout Hudson County we have been able to put the politics of the past aside and stand strong against the consistent attack on our democracy.”